My 7 mo has never been a great sleeper. Usually giving us 8-10 hours a night with 1-3 wake-ups. But the last couple of nights have been even worse. I can't tell if she's hungry, uncomfortable, or what. She's been an extremely distracted eater during the day lately, so maybe she's not getting enough calories in during the day. I can't get her to really eat solids, she's distracted, still has a bit of a tongue thrust.
She has not be regular lately as well, bowel movements every 3-4 days, lots of wet diapers.
I'm still swaddling her because she seems to want to be swaddled to fall asleep, she cries when her legs and arms are free. But she seems to be squirming a bit at night like she's uncomfortable -- but it could be she's hungry or constipated...
I don't know what to do! Any advice appreciated!
She went after 4 days (soft) and has been going regularly since. I stopped swaddling which seems to be going okay. We're back from our vacation and now she's back to getting up every 2-4 hours. the next step is moving away from the bottle at night, but we've got a ways to go because she isn't happy with just the pacifier and rocking etc. right now. Thanks everyone!
It sounds like teething. What worked for my daughter was the homeopathic teething drops- they would calm her right down at night.
Same thing happened with my son, and I asked everyone the same exact question "how to survive and what to do?" Alot of it could be teething, she is also more socially aware so thats where the distraction could be coming from. you could always try feeding her in a quiet "boring" part of the home, I know very difficult if you don't have much room. Continue with the solids and make sure you talk to your ped. about the tongue thrusting still. If you have only tried one kinid of cereal try something else such as oatmeal or barley. Also I started giving my son mixed grains cereal with his stage 3 dinners. it turned out that part of the night wakings and such were that he was hungry. I never did it myself, but I have a few friends who would add a small amount of cereal to the bottle at bedtime and they say that it seemed to work for them. With all this said, be sure to double check all ideas with your pediatrician, it could be more of an issue then any of us would think. Try a few things and if it doesn't get better call the ped. that's why they're there
Good Luck
A.
My 5 month old went through this about a month ago. I was also still swaddling and it seemed like she wanted to be swaddled but at the same time, didn't like to be swaddled because she couldn't move around at all. I found this baby sleeping bag online called a peke moe. It looks like a pillow case with a hole for her head and a zipper at the bottom. She loves it and it helped her transition from swaddling. She's still wrapped which she likes but she can also move around. The website is www.pekemoe.co.nz She's getting better with sleeping through the night. everyone told me the whole waking up thing was just a phase and she's sleeping better. So I have made that my mantra, and I just keep telling myself this too will pass :) Good luck!
my 7 month old is doing the SAME THING and I'm freakin exhausted! she's teething, maybe your baby is too. unfortunately the homeopathic remedies only work during the day. at night, we go to Motrin or Tylenol, but even that isn't really helping right now. we have a few really bad nights in a row, then a night or two that is better, then back to a week or so of awfulness. to top it off, my 2 year old is getting her molars, so she's not sleeping either. i wish i could offer you something that will help, but all i've got is "hang in there", "this too shall pass", and "you're not alone"! hope that gives you some consolation. :)
My 8.5 month old is doing the EXACT same thing. I think it is due to a combination of things. First, he is getting a new tooth. Second, I think he is going through a growth spurt. Third, he won't eat solids when he is teething, so all he wants to do is nurse.
It sure is tiring!!!
Hang in there. I also might try and stop the swaddle so that she can find a comfortable way to sleep on her own. My son LOVED the swaddle and started breaking out of it and so we stopped it around 5 months. It took a little while for him to get used to it, but now he loves to be able to roll around and find the best position to sleep in.
Hope this helps,
N.
This sounds like a bit of reflux.(I assume she is eating some solids now?) Definately need to address it, as we have all had heartburn and know how it makes us feel like we will breathe fire. Give her Mylicon after each feeding (my daughters gastro specialist said safe to give 10x + at 4 mos up)if you see a bit if an improvment, but not total, put a folded blanket (about 2 inches no more than that though) thick UNDER her mattress where her head rests. The elevation will further keep the acids from comming up thanks to Gravity. If this keeps up def. take her to the doc, the baby zantac was a heaven sent miracle drug to my family. The 3x daily doses of the baby zantac allowed her to sleep comfortably and but down on the gas like you wouldnt believe. Try the first things though definately before you go the route of meds. I like to share that with anyone since we suffered (me and my daughter) for months of sleepless naps and nights. Good Luck!
She may not want to be swaddled anymore. Try helping her fall asleep by cuddling or nursing or whatever works for you guys. She may also be teething. You can also try feeding her some different cereal or other baby food. The nice thing about being a SAHM is that you can experiment. I find that what worked a few weeks ago may not work now and vice versa. Check with the doctor regarding the bowel movements, they should be more frequent at this point.
all i can tell you is that my now 9m old did this exact thing about 2-3 months ago. she was waking constantly (after sleeping through the night since about 4 weeks), and then all of a sudden it stopped. hang in there -- its probably teething or a growth spurt and he just needs a bit more tlc. frustrating as anything tho!
So many possibilities for you...and it could be a combination of things.
Why is she so distracted when she eats? Can you control the environment in some way that might make her focus on the task at hand better? Make it quieter, brighter, dimmer, etc. Maybe give her something small to focus on right in her chair like a teething biscuit or a long rubbery baby spoon to hold.
You can always try a little baby Anbesol on her gums when she wakes up in the middle of the night to see if this settles her down. Or the Mylicon drops in case it is gas---sometimes I did a combo of both.
One of the brand names has a small jar of prunes you can try to see if this helps her bowel movements. Especially if you have given her mainly rice cereal.
Also just for a daily nightly routine have you tried any of the lavender baby calming bath wash and cream? I do truly think this helped our daughter settle in to sleep well. I liked the Baby Magic Milkbath and the Johnson and Johnson cream.
But checking with the doctor is always a good idea as she could have an ear infection, acid reflux, etc.
Hi Cleavanessa, Could your little one be teething? Also she needs to clean out her belly. Will she take water or some apple juice. Constipation would make anyone uncomfortable. Are you nursing? Check what you are eating, may be binding her up. You should ask your baby's doctor too. Grandma Mary
I would try to get her to eat more solid food during the daytime. It sounds like she would benefit from more calories which may help her sleep better...this worked for my daughter. I think the most important thing and where to start is trying to get her off the swaddle and begin to be able to sleep on her belly. Try a sleep sack instead of the swaddle. It is not an easy thing to wean her from, but at this point she really should not need it anymore. Last point of advise - don't feed her at night because once she gets use to this, she will wake every night looking for food. Try to give her a pacifier instead. Good luck!
hi, my 8 month old is like that now. she had a cold so i am a little worried she has an ear infection so im seeing how tonight goes. otherwise, she nurses for short times but several times. i wouldnt worry about the solids as far as calories as long as she is getting enough formula or breastmilk. solids are just carbs and the main purpose is to compliment food and prepare for adult food. the nutrition, calories, and fat are from the formula or bm, not the solids. im not sure what you mean by distracted. does she seem unhappy(possibly teething) or does she seem like she just wants to play. if its play, i would sit in a dark room with white noise and not talk. my first daughter was like that till over a year old.
at night, does she take a full feeding. if so, i would say she is hungry and having a growth spurt. if not, something is waking her like pain from teething or an ear infection. as she goes thru the sleep cycle, every time she is in light sleep, the pain is enough to wake her. then your comforting helps her get back to sleep. in that case, it should pass but make sure to see a doctor to rule out anything.
the swaddling thing i had to do with my first daughter as well till 9 months. she may be trying to get out, but then when she does, she isnt snuggled in enough. its like a bad cycle that for me, adjusted itself in a few weeks.
and most importantly, remember, true constipation is hard balls. if she goes on the 3rd day and its soft, she is fine. after 4 days though, i would start to have concern, but 4 days is not unheared of. as long as its soft, she isnt in discomfort.
good luck, tonight ill count how many times im up:)
